Reports of food shortages and other serious problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have raised uncomfortable questions about Navy logistics during wartime.
Pentagon leaders insist the crew remained supplied, but families and naval experts say the situation exposed a weakness America cannot afford to ignore.
Iranian missile and drone attacks damaged a major American base in Bahrain and disrupted access to a port in the United Arab Emirates.
Those strikes forced supply ships supporting the Lincoln and other warships to travel from Diego Garcia, Singapore, and other distant locations, with some voyages stretching beyond 4,000 miles.
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For years, American ships operating in the Middle East relied on ports and stockpiles inside the Persian Gulf.
Retired Navy Capt. Bradley Martin of the RAND Corporation said, “We’ve of course known for a long time that these ports and routes inside the Persian Gulf might be vulnerable, but it’s a vulnerability we chose to accept.”
The war severely restricted the movement of American supply vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, while damage in Bahrain further complicated operations.
“Thus, resupply had to come from ports outside the Gulf, Diego Garcia and even as far as Singapore or through the Suez Canal, which of course meant that deliveries were bound to be delayed,” Martin said.
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Martin added that the Navy faced more than distance alone. “The distance problems were likely exacerbated by insufficient numbers of combat logistics force ships and the need for combatants supporting operations to move and reposition.”
Those pressures landed squarely on the Lincoln, which remained at sea for more than 240 consecutive days and established a new deployment record. Aircraft carriers generally require replenishment every three to six days, depending on combat tempo and the number of missions being flown.
Stephen Wills of the Center for Maritime Strategy said carriers usually possess plenty of shelf stable and frozen food.
The real trouble begins when distant routes interrupt deliveries of fresh produce and other items that keep thousands of sailors healthy and morale from sinking into the bilge.
“Generally, your aircraft carrier is pretty well loaded out with what I call dry goods stuff, like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, various frozen and other proteins,” Wills said.
“So they’ve got food, but the problem sometimes is there are interruptions in the flow of fresh fruit and vegetables, and more fresher foods that you expect to see too.”
Aircraft can deliver supplies, but their cargo capacity is limited, according to retired Navy Capt. Brent Sadler of the Heritage Foundation.
Distance from shore also matters because fewer aircraft can reach a carrier each day, while moving closer to land places sailors and Marines within range of enemy weapons.
The Lincoln participated in combat operations against Iran and helped enforce a blockade of Iranian ports before its replacement by the USS George Washington.
Reports about the quantity and quality of food aboard the carrier surfaced in April, followed by accounts from military families describing continuing hardships.
War Department officials disputed claims that sailors were going hungry. After visiting the carrier, Adm. Brad Cooper wrote that, “Issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved,” although he offered few details about the problems or the fixes.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao also said, “Meal plans were adjusted when fresh resupply was unavailable, without a single meal being missed”. Sadler believes conditions stabilized after roughly two weeks, which is about how long supplies needed to reach the Middle East from Japan and Singapore.
The experience should serve as a warning for any future Pacific conflict, where enormous distances and vulnerable ports would create the same problems on a much larger scale.
“If there’s going to be a war in East Asia, it’s going to happen like what just happened with Iran,” Sadler said. “It’s going to happen quick. We’re going to have to adapt. We’re going to have to have supply chains already in place that we can fall back on.”
The mother of a Lincoln sailor said government officials should stop brushing aside consistent accounts from military families. “Whenever you have this many families saying the same exact thing, you probably need to start listening to the families,” she said.
She said her son reported limited food in March, though conditions later improved. “So, I think the food issues have resolved once the food issues became national news,” she said.
The mother also described collapsing morale during the extended deployment and said two sailors had entered the water in separate incidents, including one who was stopped from jumping overboard.
“The sailors aren’t the ones complaining,” she said. “They’re still doing their job. They are still proud to serve our country. I know my son is. He’s still a proud American. He loves his country. He does what the mission calls for, but it’s not exaggerated.”
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